Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is undoubtedly one of the standout RPGs of the year, and is easily one of the most challenging as well. However,selecting the best Pictosand Luminas will help you to strengthen your characters and prepare for any situation you might encounter.
Pictos and Luminas are related, but distinct, so it’s important to note these key differences so you can understand what makes a good Lumina.
Pictos
Luminas
Can be immediately equipped for free in one of three slots per character.
Cost Lumina points to equip, but no limit to the number of Lumina choices.
Bestows additional benefits when equipped, like more health or speed.
Only bestow the listed benefit.
Each Picto is unique and can only be equipped for one person at a time.
A Lumina can be equipped on as many characters as you like, provided they can pay the cost.
Acquired by defeating enemies, picking them up, or purchasing them from vendors.
Must also be unlocked by using the corresponding Picto in four battles.
8Solidifying
Solidifyingis a fantastic Lumina choice for tank characters, and could work wonders onan HP-focused Monoco build.The two shields essentially provide you with two free hits without damage.
If you struggle toavoid damage via dodges or parrying,this Lumina can be a massive help.
The only downside to this Lumina is that you have to fall below 50 percent HP to activate it, which can limit its usage as your skills improve. However, if you’re struggling with survival, then this Lumina will be a massive lifeline for you, ensuring an extra chance at survival to fight another turn.
7Recovery
Recoveryis another superb Lumina choice if you’re struggling to stay alive due to the confusing parry windows. Regaining ten percent of your health every time your turn begins is a massive bonus that increases in value the more health your character has.
It’s a perfect Lumina choice to fill out a build, since its general usefulness can fit your character regardless of their specific role. The relatively low Lumina cost makes this a great contender to use as a Lumina, since the Picto won’t save you many Lumina points.
6Second Chance
Second Chanceis arguably the best Lumina if you’re frustrated by a difficult one-shot attack or similarly high-damage that could otherwise end your run. While you ideally don’t want to rely on coming back from the jaws of defeat to snatch a difficult victory from your foe, this Lumina serves as the perfect failsafe for close battles.
If you’re noticing your battles are going down to the wire, and you’re dying just before you can strike the final blow on your opponents, then you’ll find this Lumina to be incredibly helpful. However, at a 40 Lumina point cost, it’s a massive investment of your Lumina Points.
5Anti-Blight
Blight is arguably the most annoying debuff in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, as each stack of this effect decreases your maximum health by ten percent. At ten or more stacks, your character’s health will be reduced to one hit point, meaning that any further attacks that hit you will automatically kill.
Anti-Blightcompletely negates the Blight mechanic, so you don’t have to worry about having your HP reduced. This Lumina is affordable at only ten points, and becomes a near-requisite later in the endgame and postgame portions, when enemies who inflict Blight are more common.
4Energising Turn
While every character can benefit from some extra AP,Energising Turnis arguably one of the best choices fora strong Sciel build,given her flexibility and reliance on high-AP skills. Energising Turn is superior to the Energising Start Luminas, as this option gives you an extra AP every turn, rather than just at the beginning.
This Lumina’s 20-point cost is prohibitive, but it’s one of the best uses of the points given the variety of builds that could benefit from the extra AP to use each turn.
3Teamwork
Teamworkprovides an additional ten percent damage to all of your attacks at the start of any battle, as the only requirement is a living trio of party members. This Lumina only costs five points, making it one of the best values for points in the game, especially considering its versatility.
While it’s feasible to lose this bonus during more difficult battles where someone may be knocked out, Teamwork’s nearly 100 percent uptime and additional damage make it one of the most necessary choices if you need help defeating enemies faster.
2Cheater
Cheater can arguably be considered the best Lumina in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 builds, especially when paired withMaelle’s powerful damage-focused builds.Despite the 40-point cost, this Lumina is worth selecting on every party member possible, while using the Picto on one of your party members.
While Maelle might benefit the most from this Lumina when used in tandem with Virtuose Stance and the Stendhal ability, you should still use this on every character. The ability to take two turns is a massive advantage in endgame scenarios and is only bested by one other Lumina.
1Painted Power
Cheater is a fantastic Lumina, butPainted Poweris a must-choose requirement that every single party member needs once you acquire it. At only five Lumina points, there is no better value for cost in the game, as most enemies you face will have over 1,000,000 health in the latter stages.
Given that the alternative to using this Lumina is taking potentially an hour or so to defeat certain bosses, Painted Power distinguishes itself as a strict requirement for the late game and is the best Lumina in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
